HarvSFC

Would be better to play Forest when they're on holiday mode at the City Ground, rather than a decisive match. They've only picked up 6 points away from home this season. Of course 3 of those were against us. Their other 19 have come at home, so a tough place to go, made easier if they have nothing left to play for.

One day we're going to get a comfortable victory. When we missed the penalty and VAR popped up after our goal, I thought it wasn't going to be our day. But, because we sacked Nathan Jones, God was surely looking down on us today as we really rode our luck. On the penalty, we haven't had a good penalty kick taker since Lambert left. Tadic, Ings and now Ward-Prowse who has missed his last two have all missed their fair share of them from what I can remember. Let somebody else take the next one, please. Maitland-Niles gave their attackers the freedom of the city and Bazunu did his best to give Leicester a goal, but other than that I thought the rest did their jobs okay. We didn't test Danny Ward in the second half and I'd have personally brought on Onuachu instead of Mara to give us an out ball and some hold up play, but we'll take the three points however we can. Alcaraz has been our best January signing by some distance, so weird he was the one that was dropped after he scored against Wolves. Hopefully his injury isn't too bad and we need to keep him in the team now. Leicester fans can keep singing about the 9-0 all they want. They only get 3 points for that. Our two results this season have generated more points than they got against us in 19-20. As I've always said, losing 9-0 once is better than losing 1-0 nine times. The table looks a lot healthier now. A Forest 3-0 win tomorrow would be fantastic. Two points from safety due to GD, no more cup distractions, so lets turn Wednesday's tragedy into a positive. Up the Saints!

Edozie, Djenepo, Sulemana. No end product between the three of them, but they do always look to take on the opposition and do cause problems at times. Elyounoussi and either Armstrong are too easy to defend against and bring the ball right back to our own half. With Onuachu and Adams as well, who aren’t that good at carrying the ball, then we need the carriers around them, rather than a static front four that we have started most of this season with. Even against Grimsby there wasn’t enough movement up top, so hoping two of the three start today with the other coming off the bench.

Semmens used the fans forum last year to critique fans stating a negative home atmosphere doesn't help the team, despite the team not turning up for the last two months of the season and picking up their £50k+ a week, while we're paying good money for a shit product. Then came Nathan Jones, who went to war with the fans every week in his press conferences for three months, even after a win against Blackpool, despite only winning one league match and losing the rest in his three months in charge. Although, he did have a 100% league record if you didn't include Liverpool, Brighton, Fulham, Forest, Villa, Brentford and Wolves. Now, you have the club's mouthpieces trotting out every week that the team needs the fans, etc. Well, I hope on Saturday that the atmosphere starts toxic from minute one. It won't, but I wish it did. Last night's performance was unforgiveable. Players on 100s of thousands a month being made to look like amateurs by League Two footballers who play three times a week for a pittance of what the Southampton players are undeservedly earning. We're relegated. Support isn't going to change anything now, it's too late. We've directed our anger at Hasenhuttl and Jones. The boardroom and the players have had an easy ride up to this point. I support the club and the city I was born and still live in, but these individuals who simply put on the logo aren't deserving of any support.

Remember when we appointed Selles until the end of the season because he got a flukey win against Chelsea? Soft as shit penalty and the ref didn't even blow straight away, but Grimsby deserve to be leading. We aren't staying up, the club's mouthpieces can stop harping on about needing the fans, that boat has now long sailed. All vitriol now needs to be aimed at the board and the players. Make it known that this is unacceptable, as we've been putting up with this since February 2022.

The Grimsby right winger stopped the ball from flying right past him with his arm though?

Someone go through that Maher for Grimsby, not interested in playing football.

I reckon he'll go to cement his record above Beckham's and become the best Premier League free kick taker of all time. Would be some legacy and need someone extraordinary to take the record if he doesn't waste a year in the Championship. Surprised he's been here for this long to be honest and was surprised he signed the new contract a couple of summers ago. I thought it was a statement of intent, but we've gone backwards massively for a player with his unique ability, which is world class level.

Quantity, rather than quality again. Spread the £126m over five players at £25m each - Goalkeeper, centre-back, central midfielder, 10, striker and we'd have had a new spine that was desperately needed and at £25m each, you'd hope they're good players. Instead, we're still shopping in the old markets, signing a load of players around the £10m mark, hoping they're all bargains, when in reality they've left us 20th in the league and weaker for it with an over inflated squad of players who might look to see out their contracts here. Our most successful resale was Van Dijk after he joined 8 years ago. £13m spent, sold for £75m, £62m profit. A 24 year old highly rated Netherlands international with Champions League experience. In today's market he'd have probably cost £20m-£25m, but we still for the most part refuse to go that high despite the potential profit should the transfer go well. Doesn't make sense, we're just backwards.

Danny Ings was available for £12m in Janaury, so we signed Onuachu for £18m. Wages will probably balance them both out. Neither have any resale value and while Ings might have fitness issues, he'll still score more goals between January and the end of the season than Onuachu and pay West Ham back through Premier League money, while we're scrounging around parachute payments. So much money spent on absolute cack this season. 15 players signed and we're still watching Elyounoussi play 80+ minutes every week, while making the inexcusable decision to recall Jan Bednarek. Not a single Southampton fan would have recalled Bednarek, no matter how bad our defence was. Then making out that he was some aggressive leader, when we've all seen him shy away and make himself smaller against hundreds of shots, lose composure and score weak own goals and stay away from a crucial cup match to sit on Poland's bench the next week. Okay, you recalled him, I can get over that, but then he's also playing every week, despite two summer centre-back signings and cost us games against Wolves and Leeds. Sometimes I think someone is actually having a laugh at the top because a lot of the decisions, Jones, not sacking Jones sooner, Bednarek, Elyounoussi, Djenepo contract, amateur goalkeeper, no Broja replacement, no cover for JWP/Lavia... Just don't make any sense! You could justify keeping Hasenhuttl in charge due to his streaky record with us and if he could do something more with a bigger squad more resources, so I don't include that. One of the few things Ankersen can justify. Sometimes as fans we aren't always right, but we've been almost spot on in our criticisms of SR's decisions over the course of their year in charge.

We’re definitely going down then, lads. Straight through Bazunu and our right side of defence.

KWP on at halftime please. Only player with any attacking ability.

Spare a thought for James Bree. At least he wasn't £20m.

Didn't mention the best coach in Europe, bizarrely.

Anywhere he goes shopping goes straight into admin, so for the best!

Jimmy Jay Jack Joseph Julian Jerald Jeremiah Morgan watches on as Dom Ballard makes his Premier League debut at Stamford Bridge.

I predict we get 2 or 3 more losses under Selles and then go crawling back with an improved offer, meeting his demands and again, SR would have wasted more time and we'll have been all but relegated at that stage.

Rank your favourite Polish Southampton footballers: 1. Marek Saganowski (For that half a season he was magical. The Wolves game.) 2. Artur Boruc (The much needed goalkeeper improvement. Not many characters like him in football anymore.) 3. Grzegorz Rasiak (Super lazy, but knew where the goal was. That play-off goal will live long in the memory.) 4. Bartosz Bialkowski (Good young goalkeeper for a time, but looked a mess against Blackpool. Ended up forging a good, steady Championship career.) 5. Tomasz Hajto (A weird choice for the number 7 shirt. Looked okay, went to Derby.) 6. Kamil Kosowski (Can’t actually ever remember seeing him play, but according to Wiki he played 18 times and even scored a goal.) 7. Mateusz Lis (Definitely hasn’t ever played for us) 8. Jan Bednarek (Unfortunately has played for us, has a bigger ego than all of the aforementioned names together and a shit footballer to boot. The Polish Wesley Hoedt.)

He wouldn't be my first choice, but I also don't have any better, realistic alternatives and I doubt he'd be anyone's first choice. We're all football fans and crave the unthinkable happening, but here's why he wouldn't be my last choice: Leeds sacked the idolised Bielsa after 6-0 and 4-0 losses to Liverpool and Tottenham. It was always a tough act to follow, as Bielsa could do no wrong in their fans’ eyes, whereas we’re the complete opposite and believe a pigeon could manage the squad better than Jones. They were in 17th when Marsch was appointed and lost his first two games in charge, putting him in 18th. But, a little undefeated run, three wins, two draws, was only broken by three defeats to City, Arsenal and Chelsea, as you would expect, but drew with Brighton and beat Brentford on the final day, keeping them up.Then in the summer, Leeds lost their two best players in Raphinha and Phillips, while Bamford, who I don’t personally rate, but is their best striker has spent most of the season injured.Leeds haven’t been in the relegation zone at all this season, their lowest position is their current one, 17th. They were 14th when he was sacked. They’ve also lost only three games by two or more goals this season, Brentford, City and Leicester. So, for the most part it’s been narrow defeats that have done it for Marsch.Now, he wouldn’t have been my first choice, but I’ve clearly talked myself into getting on board with him. We were never going to appoint a Koeman or a Poch as we sit 20th this late into the season and the last time we were in a similar situation we ended up with Mark Hughes on a three year contract. But, all we need right now is a man manager after months of players, including a January signing being ostracised after a couple of training sessions. A manager who isn’t going to change the eleven, and especially the defence every game. A manager who realises that Elyounoussi, Diallo and Bednarek are shit and have no business playing up here, let alone starting every week.Worst case scenario is we go down with an attacking manager who has won the league in Austria while being clear favourites, which we are likely to be next season, rather than a defensive dinosaur.

Marsch beat Chelsea 3-0 this season. So, unless he compromises to the imaginary fairies we’ve got a big win coming this weekend. Then Leeds, who we won’t need a scouting report on. 6 points, easy peasy new manager bounce.

Rooney's record at D.C. United is terrible. 9 losses in 14.

Don't expect much in the short term, but could be good in the long term. An attacking manager, but Leeds weren't ever really thrashed under him. A 5-2 loss against Brentford in September their biggest defeat this season. Leicester 2-0 and Manchester City 3-1 the only other times they lost by at least two goals under him this season. It was tight losses that cost him his job at Leeds, sounds like Hasenhuttl. 26 goals scored in 20 league matches also, 8 more than we have in two fewer matches, what dreams are made of. At the end of the day, if we are relegated then I want to see us with an attacking manager in the Championship and doing what Burnley are currently. None of that defensive grinding out results rubbish. Marsch's CV doesn't read too bad, either. Had success in the MLS, 2 time league winner in Austria, although it is a one team league, managed a reputable club in Leipzig and had success in this country in the Premier League at Leeds. Definitely a better candidate than our most recent appointment. Marsch managed Haaland too, so could get him on loan.

As many have already stated, momentum is key now. Both times we've been relegated in the last 20 years our momentum was spiralling downwards, even despite building a team that was far too good for League One. 05-06 after Premier League relegation we got just 3 wins in our first 14, only 2 losses, but the 9 draws cemented us as a mid-table team. Then 09-10, despite bringing in Lambert, Hammond, Harding, Murty and Jaidi into a League One team that summer, while already having Lallana and Schneiderlin, we only won one of our first 10, which meant that with the -10 points we had to spend another season in League One. If we want to come straight back up then we need to stop the rot setting in. I guess Marsch could work, as Leeds battered many, but didn't have a scorer. Hasenhuttl was doing better than what Jones did with this squad and was keeping us within touching distance of safety and Marsch's tactics are similar to Hasenhuttl's, both just needed a striker this season. Whether Tall Paul is that man though remains to be seen, though. We're probably down though, meaning that if we do appoint a defensive minded manager, which is what this team is shouting for at the moment, then we're risking going into the Championship with a defence first manager. The last time we scraped survival, we appointed a managerial merry go round dinosaur in Hughes. The issue there was that we then decided to give him a three year deal.

A win today and we'd have been 3 points off 15th. We gave the bastard one week too long. Every fan knew last week that Jones should have gone. The board have tried to be too clever again, as they were in appointing him in the first place.

That’s the worst loss of the season and nearly as embarrassing as the 9-0s. 63 minutes against 10 men, 1-0 up, we had all the power. But, the Welsh bastard went reactive, rather than proactive and he only went reactive after they scored the equaliser. I’m glad I’m not a religious man because I’d think God hated the shit out of me if I was Jones. Wolves came out flying in the second half, they brought on our kryptonite in Adams Traore and it was clear to see that we needed some fresh legs on as their 10 men were dominating ours. But, the answer was not bringing on Lyanco to play a back three against 10 men at home. For all the talk of being on the front foot, bringing on Lyanco and playing a back three put us on the back foot AGAINST 10 MEN. And then there was only one winner. We were playing with two liabilities at the back in Lyanco and powderpuff Fanny B. And what do you know, powderpuff Fanny B added to his own goal record today, as all Saints fan knew he would as we’ve been watching his same old shite for years. He wasn’t some new, reformed leader who needs to come straight back into the team. The only positives were the first half, Sulemena looks a level above us and another positive will be when Jones gets sacked, which I don’t think he would have had we also embarrassingly drew. He can’t survive this and him and his Skate family can fuck off. The Jones experiment is done.